Letter from Punta Banco, Costa Rica
September 27, 2006

Hola, Everybody!
After the ride on the big plane from the US to San Jose, and the little plane from San Jose to Golfito, and the three-hour bus trip from Golfito to Punta Banco, I arrived safely. There are no phones, televisions, regular mail, or e-mail in Punta Banco due to its location. The reception just can’t get through. I am staying with a wonderful local family who include me in their activities. We eat fresh seafood, free range chickens (what else would they be?), and of course, lots of rice and beans. The mother showed me how to catch lobsters in the ocean and shrimp in the river. The children take me to see the monkeys and I’ve been teaching the kids English. In the evening we watch DVDs the father has bought in Panama of all the latest movies, either dubbed in Spanish or subtitled.

So, here’s my life as a Turtle Person. There are two patrols a night, one starting two hours before high tide and the other starting two hours after high tide. Half of each patrol goes north, and the other south. I usually patrol with one or two other people but never alone. We walk the beach for about 3 hours looking for turtle tracks. We then follow the tracks and if we find the turtle herself, we identify which kind she is, and then measure her shell and her tracks. We check her to see if she’s healthy, and either tag her flippers, or else read off the number if she’s already been tagged. (If she’s in process of laying her eggs, she’s completely preoccupied and totally ignores whatever we do to her.) First, she digs a hole amazingly fast using her flippers. She then lays about 100 eggs, and when she’s done, she buries them by pounding down the sand with her flippers and body. This is a waste of her time, as we immediately dig up the eggs as soon as she’s gone. At other times, we catch them as she lays them. After she finishes burying her eggs, she walks back to the ocean, done forever with her parental responsibilities.

If we only see the tracks, we use a stick to poke the sand to find the nest. Once we find it, we dig up the eggs and count them. Once we have all the eggs, they are taken back to the village of Punta Banco, reburied in the hatchery, and the data is recorded. It is very important to note the location of the nest, because when the eggs hatch, the little turtles must be carried from the hatchery and released in the same place where they came from.

But sometimes, the poachers get there first. They take the eggs, which they eat raw with a shot of liquor, which supposedly increases their male potency. I think we should start a rumor that turtle eggs make you impotent! Anyway, the really sad thing is that they take all the eggs, leaving not a single one in the nest to hatch into a turtle for the next generation. The local coast guard’s efforts to stop the poaching have not been successful. No wonder the turtles are going extinct.

After about 60 days the turtles hatch, usually around dusk. This is absolutely fantastic to see. First one little turtle head peeks out of the sand, then another, and then another. Within a few minutes there are 40 or 50 identical little turtles swarming around, and within half an hour, maybe over 100. Usually people from the village come to watch the turtles. They seem to take pride in them. We count the turtles, and then release them at the location of their original nest. Sometimes the local children come along and help. Of course, we protect the turtles from predators and shield them from any lights on the land. After spending two months buried in the sand, the baby turtles are eager to begin their lives at sea. They move their tiny flippers frantically, trying to move along the sand toward water and start swimming. Go free, little turtles! Buena Suerte! The turtles will need lots of luck, as only a few of them will survive to adulthood and come back to this very same beach to lay their own eggs in about 15 years. The children who help us will be adults themselves.

We have our day times free. I love waking up to the sound of the howler monkeys just outside. There is also a troop of capuchin monkeys that pass over the house about twice a day. I’ve seen lots of tropical birds, frogs, and insects. I’ve also sighted whales on two occasions. The beach is right across the road from the house so I go swimming every day. This is a great place for surfing, but I prefer the boogie board. I’ve done lots hiking in the jungle with some of the other volunteers. My favorite activity has been horseback riding along the beach, galloping next to the surf, like the heroine of a romance novel.

So, that’s the story from Punta Banco: turtles, monkeys, exotic birds, inviting beaches, and wonderful people. You really ought to volunteer! Diana